WSAVA Calls for Veterinary Volunteers for Outreach Work in Colombia

Geplaatst op 18 April 2016

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) is seeking volunteers for its latest Global Outreach project. It will take place in Colombia in the week prior to WSAVA World Congress in Cartagena (27-30 September 2016), with volunteers providing clinical care to pets whose owners cannot afford to pay for treatment. They will also be carrying out a spay and neuter program to help manage population growth among dogs and cats.

The WSAVA's Global Outreach activities, supported by Hill's Pet Nutrition, aim to share the knowledge and experience of its members around the world and to provide an avenue for them to contribute to human and animal welfare globally. For 2016, the WSAVA is supporting Organisacion por el Respeto y Ciudado de los Animales (ORCA), an organization providing preventative health and clinical care for pets owned by the residents of Tierra Bomba Isla, an island off the coast of Cartagena where levels of poverty are high.The WSAVA hopes to recruit around ten veterinarians to join its volunteer team. They will ideally be experienced general practitioners, proficient in general surgery and excited at the opportunity to help others and to work out of their comfort zone.

WSAVA President Colin Burrows said: "Global Outreach is proving a key tool in helping us to create a global veterinary community in which we all work together to build a better future for people and animals everywhere. We are delighted to be helping ORCA, the residents of Tierra Bomba Isla and their animals this year, and hope our team can make a real difference to animal welfare during their time there."

Dr Jolle Kirpensteijn, Chief Professional Relations Officer at Hill's and WSAVA Executive Board member, commented: "The WSAVA's Global Outreach projects empower veterinarians to help their colleagues in developing countries at a really practical level and we have had fantastic feedback from those who have taken part in previous years' activities."Hill's has supported Global Outreach from the start as it aligns perfectly with our mission to support the veterinary community around the world and to enrich and lengthen the relationship that owners have with their pets."